In June 2011, SDF canine recruiter Heidi Miller was traveling through California, stopping at shelters to see if they had any dogs that showed promise as search and rescue candidates. At the Central California SPCA in Fresno, Heidi noticed a “quiet, depressed-looking” purebred yellow Labrador named Noah alone in his kennel. She nearly passed him by, but because his age and breed met SDF requirements, Heidi decided to give him a closer look. Upon exiting his kennel, Noah exploded with energy and enthusiasm for the toy Heidi held in her hand! Heidi spent the next hour running Noah through a series of tests that would evaluate his love of toys, desire to hunt, footing, and more – all innate skills that a canine candidate needs to succeed in our line of work. Noah did beautifully, and Heidi adopted him that day.
A little on the thin side and suffering from a cold, Noah spent some time at Heidi’s home with her dogs and ranch animals as he regained his health. She reported to SDF over the coming days that she’d had to hide all the dog toys because Noah wanted to play endlessly but needed more rest. “He will play with anything – rope, ball on a rope toy, stuffed animals, soccer balls…he’s figured out the dog door and thinks it’s really fun to go in-and-out, in-and-out, in-and-out….makes me dizzy (to watch).”
When Heidi delivered Noah to SDF, trainers noted that he would need some conditioning, but he was a very sweet dog and a quick learner. Noah spent some time building his obedience skills and proved to be a great search dog candidate. He was a happy boy who wanted to please his handler. He slowly built up his rubble skills while daily workouts transformed him into an amazing athlete.
In May 2012, Noah was partnered with veteran handler Mark Schroeder of Nebraska Task Force 1, based in Lincoln. After spending several days getting to know one another, Noah flew back to Nebraska with Mark to meet his new family. When we checked in with them a few days later, Mark said, “I could not have asked for a better dog than Noah. He is just amazing and I am so grateful for him.”
Noah and Mark passed their Foundational Skills Assessment in preparation for their Certification Evaluation within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) system, which they achieved on September 21, 2013. With this advanced certification, the team became eligible to deploy to disasters nationwide. As is required of all U.S. canine search teams, Mark and Noah tested again three years later and successfully achieved FEMA Re-Certification on June 5, 2016.
Mark and Noah were deployed with teams to the Carolinas ahead of Hurricane Florence on September 11, 2018. Hurricane Florence was a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in the U.S. on September 14, 2018, creating a large storm surge in coastal areas and claiming dozens of lives. Members of NE-TF1 returned home after assisting with relief efforts and making sure citizens were accounted for.
Mark and Noah re-certified in April 2019 and maintained their skills with regular search training, even through two years of a pandemic.
Sadly and unexpectedly, Noah crossed the Rainbow Bridge on May 23, 2022. He had gotten sick a few days earlier and was unable to recover. Mark did not leave his side, and Noah made the transition peacefully at the age of nearly thirteen. Noah’s life and career will be honored at SDF’s Canine Memorial Wall and we are grateful for his service to the nation.
